Discoveries of Shahr-e Sukhteh (the Burnt City)

There are many fascinating discoveries in Shahr-e Sukhteh. But we’re not just talking about artifacts and objects, we’re talking about remarkable achievements in science and art! The people of this ancient city created the world’s first known animation on pottery, performed the earliest recorded brain surgery, and achieved much more.

content table:

• Discoveries of Shahr-e Sukhteh

• Mysteries of Shahr-e Sukhteh

• Conclusion

Discoveries of Shahr-e Sukhteh

One of the most mind-blowing discoveries in Shahr-e Sukhteh is the world’s earliest known artificial eyeball. Imagine this, a perfectly shaped hemispherical eye, just over 2.5 cm wide, made from a light natural mixture of bitumen and animal fat. Its surface was covered with a thin layer of gold, decorated with a circle at the center and fine golden lines spreading outward like the veins of eyes itself.

The woman who wore it stood around 1.82 meters tall (about six feet), unusually tall for her time. Tiny holes on both sides once held a golden thread to keep the eye in place. And here’s the fascinating part, under the microscope, researchers found delicate marks inside her eye socket, left by those very threads, proving she actually wore this golden eye while she was alive. Her remains date back to around 2900–2800 BCE, turning this object into more than an artifact, it’s a glimpse into innovation, beauty, and mystery from over five thousand years ago.

_________________________________________________________________________

Among the treasures of Shahr-e Sukhteh, an earthen goblet dating to around 3178 BCE stands out for its quiet genius. Painted on its surface are a series of images that, when viewed in sequence, reveal a goat leaping toward a tree, what many believe to be the world’s first animation. 

This piece belongs to Period I, the city’s earliest era, when Shahr-e Sukhteh was just beginning to flourish. Long before film or motion pictures, someone here had already captured the essence of movement and storytelling through art.

 _________________________________________________________________________

Another extraordinary find is the oldest complete board game ever discovered. Unearthed alongside four dice and twenty-seven geometric pieces, all perfectly preserved, it represents the earliest known example of a full twenty-square game set. More than a pastime, it offers a window into the minds of its players, a reflection of how they thought, competed, and connected. Archaeologists have even managed to reconstruct the board and suggest how it might have been played, reviving a game that once entertained the people of this lost city.

 _________________________________________________________________________

A small stamp seal adds another piece to the story. No written script has ever been found at the site, yet these seals reveal a sophisticated system of record-keeping and identification. They likely marked goods, agreements, or exports, the ancient equivalent of signatures or official emblems. Such discoveries suggest that Shahr-e Sukhteh was far from isolated; it was organized, connected, and actively engaged in regional trade.

 _________________________________________________________________________

Equally fascinating is a ruler, simple in form but extraordinary in precision. Marked accurately to half a millimeter (0.5 mm), it demonstrates a remarkable understanding of measurement and craftsmanship more than 5,000 years ago. It’s proof that the people of Shahr-e Sukhteh valued order, accuracy, and beauty in everything they created.

Even the city’s structure speaks of intelligence and foresight.

 _________________________________________________________________________

Beneath the ground, archaeologists uncovered a network of clay sewer pipes, an early example of urban engineering. These pipes carried wastewater away from residential areas, showing a deep concern for hygiene, structure, and organized living, a level of civic planning far beyond what we expect from such an ancient world.

 _________________________________________________________________________

From the golden eye of a mysterious woman to the precision of a ruler and the flow of a forgotten sewer system, every discovery whispers the same truth: Shahr-e Sukhteh wasn’t merely a city of the past, it was a civilization far ahead of its time, quietly shaping the early chapters of human progress.

Mysteries of Shahr-e Sukhteh

There are also things that were never found in Shahr-e Sukhteh, and they’re just as revealing as the treasures that were. Objects you’d expect in every ancient city are simply missing here, as if the people of this place chose a different way to live.

The most astonishing absence is that of weapons. Not a single sword, spear, dagger, or arrowhead has ever been unearthed. No shields, no armor, no evidence of war or defense. You can’t help but wonder, how did they protect themselves? But the truth is, they might not have needed to.

Excavations also revealed no palaces or royal tombs, no sign of a ruling class or centralized authority. There are no temples or monumental religious structures, and no idols or altars that suggest organized worship. In a world where kings carved their names into stone and gods demanded offerings, Shahr-e Sukhteh stands silent, a city without hierarchy, without a throne, and without divine intermediaries.

Even the art and burials reflect this equality. Graves show no extreme differences in wealth or status, no golden masks for the elite, no mass graves for the poor. The people were buried with care, but not extravagance, each one treated with the same quiet dignity.

There’s also a notable lack of fortifications or defensive walls around the settlement. Most ancient cities were protected by strong barriers, yet here the landscape lies open. It seems Shahr-e Sukhteh wasn’t built for war or fear, it was built for living, trading, and creating.

And perhaps most curiously, no written script has ever been found. Not a single tablet, inscription, or sign system to record their language. Yet they used stamp seals, proving they still managed trade, ownership, and communication in their own ingenious way, without the written word.

All these absences tell their own story. Shahr-e Sukhteh appears to have been a peaceful, cooperative, and egalitarian society, one that valued creation over domination and harmony over control. A city without kings, without weapons, without temples, but full of artistry, precision, and human intelligence.

It’s a reminder that civilization doesn’t always begin with conquest or hierarchy. Sometimes, it begins with balance...

Conclusion

Shahr-e Sukhteh is more than an archaeological site, it’s a mirror held up to humanity’s earliest imagination. In every golden thread, every painted goblet, and every silent grave, there’s a whisper of people who built a world without kings or wars, yet full of art, science, and empathy.

They engineered their city with precision, measured to half a millimeter. They created the first animation, the first artificial eye, and perhaps the first organized games, all without leaving behind a single word. Their story survives not through texts or monuments, but through objects that speak for them.

And maybe that’s what makes Shahr-e Sukhteh so hauntingly beautiful. It wasn’t a civilization built to rule, it was a civilization built to live. A place where innovation met equality, and progress didn’t need power to exist.

In the dust of the Burnt City, we don’t just uncover artifacts, we uncover a vision of humanity at its most peaceful and creative.A reminder that even five thousand years ago, there were people who chose knowledge over conquest, and harmony over hierarchy.

author: The Museum of Time, Asal Mirzaei

6 November 2025, lastest update